Shadows Of Things Past
by Writer's Block
Summary: A reprise to Once A Villian, Always A Villian. Inspired by the song "Everything Changes."


**Shadows Of Things Past;**

**A reprise to "Once A Villain, Always A Villain"**

**Prologue**

"G'night Brock, Misty, Pikachu, Stephen." Ash said wearily as he snuggled under the bed covers.

"'Night Ash. Good night my little Togepi. Sweet dreams" Misty replied to her younger companion, then to Togepi, who was just tucking into it's shell. Brock and Pikachu were already asleep, Brock snoring in a comical fashion, Pikachu buried in Ash's blankets.

"See ya' tomorrow." I said as I yawned loudly. Ash reached over and flipped off the lights, leaving the room in complete darkness, except for the moonbeams that flowed in through the windows and over my bedspread.

As you can tell, it was night. We were all staying in a Pokémon Center run by none other than Nurse Joy and her Chanseys. We had been traveling all day on our way to the Orange Islands to pick up something for Professor Oak. We were lucky enough to find this center. We were out in the middle of nowhere, and the ground was damp from last night's winter shower for us to sleep on the wooded path. My friends and traveling companions were fast asleep in minutes. They deserved the rest. It had been a long day. I however, was unable to sleep because I was ailed by two of the worst nighttime diseases known to humankind. 

Insomnia and restlessness.

Staring out the snow bordered windows of our room, my mind drifted off to my past, a story that my friends know little about. 

I'm from Turquoise City. I started out as a pokémon trainer, then joined Team Rocket. I left Team Rocket and restarted my journey. I have a family and a home where I send my extra pokémon instead of a pokémon lab like Ash. That's about all they know of my past. That's all I want them to know....

The memories of my life were flooding into my mind. I tried not to think about them, but they continued to bombarded my brain with mixed emotions, leaving me confused and sick at heart. Finally, not being able to just lay there, I quietly got dressed and headed outside into the moonlit night. Little did I know, there was a set of eyes watching me as I left the center. 

Shivering a little in the cold, I sat down on the porch of the center and looked up into the star dotted sky. A shooting star streaked across my view as I let the memories take control.

"Four years ago...." I said quietly. "Everything started out so well...."

**Chapter One **

"Stephen, wake up! You're going to be late!" 

Jerking awake at my mother's voice, I looked groggily around the room. Morning. You want specifics? Fine. It was the morning of my eleventh birthday, in the middle of June. School was out, it was a mild summer, and I was taking the quiz to get my trainer's license today.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Stephen Myriad. Interesting name, Myriad. It basically means "many." It suits my passion. You see, unlike most pokémon trainers who dreamed of becoming a Pokémon Master, I wanted to become the master pokémon collector. It's my destiny to collect and train every single pokémon on the planet, and maybe some day, some that aren't on this planet, like the Clefairy, as my friend's uncle Seymore poetically states. That man is convinced that pokémon came from another planet....

Jumping out of bed, I quickly dressed, tossing on my favorite trainer's suit, a red over shirt with lightening streaking across it from a Raichu on the back, my blue jeans, and my riding boots. I had bought them during my Ponyta riding lessons last summer. I snatched up my backpack, which had been emptied of my school books and filled with things I would need for my trip. I hopped on the staircases' railing and slid down, almost colliding with my sister as she walked by.

"Hey! Watch it dork!" She said, jumping back as I hopped off the railing.

"Yeah, I love you too, sis." I said, giving her a fake smile. She just grimaced and walked into the kitchen. I quickly followed, wanting to get a bite to eat before I left. Stepping over the family Growlithe, Barxs, I grabbed a piece of toast off of the table and waved to my mom, who was mixing some eggs in a bowl. She waved back and told me to hurry to the lab.

"No problem mom. See ya later!" I said as I grabbed my snap-on-roller blade-wheels and sunglasses off a chair. My mom had put them there, knowing that I never go anywhere without them. Seconds later, I was blazing down the sidewalk, my bleach hair blowing in the morning wind. I took a shortcut and arrived at the lab in a few minutes.

The pokémon lab in our town was nothing special. However, today, it was special to me. I pulled off the removable bottoms to my roller blades and stuffed them into my backpack. I strolled into the building, reading the inscription on the wall as I entered.

"Today's trainers are tomorrow's Masters." I quoted aloud. Smiling a little, I walked in through the sliding glass doors and headed down the long hallway of the lobby to the testing area. 

After a brief walk past many doors, most of them leading to labs and other training areas, I finally arrived at a door marked "Admissions Tests."

"Well, here goes nothing." I said as I pushed open the door. Inside, there was row after row of stadium style desks, all forming a semicircle around a large screen at the center of the room. A man by the screen looked up as I entered and smiled at me. He was middle aged, with slightly graying hair. His face was a little wrinkled, but he had these eyes that were so full of life, that you would like him as soon as you saw him. 

"Hello Mr. Myriad." He said, marking off some things on a clipboard on his desk. "Please take your seat. We'll be starting soon."

"No problem Doctor Ivy." I said, climbing the small steps up to the fourth row of seats. I plopped down in one with my name above the computer monitor on it, and began to fiddle with the electronic pen and the laser-eye writing pad in front of me. Just then, I felt a pat on my shoulder. Turning around in my seat, I looked up to see a sweet face with the most amazing blue eyes I have ever seen.

"Hi Stephen, what's up?" Jenna asked me. Jenna was a friend of mine from school, and we were pretty close. We both had the same interests, and I had always felt this little nagging feeling in the back of my mind whenever I was with her. I didn't know if she felt the same way, but I had always had a little bit of a crush on her.

"Uh, nothing much Jen." I replied, dropping my electronic pen onto my desk. "Just getting ready for the test."

"Well, I hope you pass." She said, smiling a set of pearly white teeth at me. I always melted at that smile.

"Yeah....Jenna...." I said slowly. Jenna looked at me like I had brain damage, but then hurried off to her seat a few rows behind me as Dr. Ivy told everyone to get seated. I shook off the mind numbing effect of her smile and turned up to the front of the room.

"All right everyone, you will have one hour to finish the exam, which has one hundred questions. This is **not** a multiple choice quiz, so take your time and be specific. Good luck." Dr. Ivy said as he hit a small button on his computer. My computer screen flashed to life and began to read off questions to me.

"Name all of the known types of evolution inducing stones." it stated in a mechanical voice.

"Fire, water, thunder, leaf, and moon." I said quietly as I wrote the words onto my laser-eye pad. As I wrote the words, the text appeared on my screen. I tapped the space on my pad marked "enter," and was rewarded by the word "Correct" across my screen.

"Boy, this is going to be easy." I said as the screen showed a picture of a Pikachu.

"Pikachu is an electric rodent pokémon. Electrical storms often form when several Pikachu are grouped together. Why does this happen?" The computer asked again.

"Spoke too soon...." I mumbled. One hour, and a hundred questions later, I hit the "finish" space on my pad and slumped back in my chair. I watched Dr. Ivy read off the scores on his computer, muttering to himself as he read. Finally, he looked up at me and smiled. Smiling back, I sat up straight and sighed a little.

"Pokémon training, here I come." I said as I put my hands behind my head and waited for the scores to be put up on the main screen. Finally, Dr. Ivy hit a few keys on his computer. The names of everyone taking the test and their scores flashed onto the main screen.

"Everyone who achieved sixty to seventy percent passed with an average. Seventy-five to ninety passed with an above average score. Anyone above ninety, please come see me after everyone else leaves. Anyone who scored less than sixty percent, I'm sorry, but you will have to try again in two weeks." Dr. Ivy explained as he sat back down. 

I shot a look up to Jenna, waiting for an expression. Instead of a look of happiness, she looked disappointed. 

Confused, I looked up to the screen. I searched across it and my eyes fell on her name, then her score. She had gotten a fifty-two. Grimacing a little, I looked back up at her, but she wasn't there anymore. Looking around, I saw her walk out the door with the other students. I started after her, but then stopped, remembering that I hadn't seen my score. 

Looking back up to the main screen, I found my name. My eyes slowly scrolled over to the score section. I held my breath, then read my score. 

Ninety-seven percent.

**Chapter Two**

"Now then," Dr. Ivy said to the eight remaining trainers-to-be, myself being one of them "All of you here passed with over a ninety percent score. As you may know, anything above ninety is classified as virtuoso status. People who achieve this kind of score have a greater chance of bonding with pokémon. Most even learn how to speak to pokémon, or at least understand them. Prof. Oak from Pallet Town was one of the few people of his time to get a perfect one hundred percent, and now he's a world famous pokémon researcher!"

I honestly couldn't believe what I was hearing. I couldn't believe that I was among what could be a group of prodigies of the pokémon world. All I had done was answer some questions, and I found out that I was some sort of pokémon genius. Weird, really.

"As you may know, trainers receive their starter pokémon according to what kind of score they have. People who get an average score receive a basic training pokémon like Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Eevee, or other easy to train pokémon. However, with the kind of scores you all have gotten, you are able to choose more advanced pokémon."

"Like what kind doctor?" a girl with dark red hair asked.

"Well, allow me to show you." Dr. Ivy said. He pushed a button on his computer, and a large section of the floor in front of us just opened up and elevated, revealing row after row of pokéballs, most of them Super balls, Hyper, or Mega. One, right in the middle, was a MasterBall, signifying the most powerful pokémon the lab had. We all gazed longingly at the Masterball, wondering who would get it. The Dr. intercepted our gazes though.

"I'm sorry everyone, but that pokémon is only for those who scored a perfect one-hundred. I'm sorry to say, but none of you did." He explained. There were collective grumblings among us, and one boy looked like he was going to burst a vein or something.

"So close! I can't believe it! I scored a 99.7 percent!" He cried as he gripped the sides of his head. Doctor Ivy shrugged a little, but continued.

"Now then. After you all receive a license, you will each choose a pokémon, highest score first, lowest last." Doctor Ivy said as he handed a small square chip to each of us. He then gave us our WatchDexes. WatchDexes are smaller versions of a PokeDex, that are worn like a wrist watch. They have much more info on pokémon and their habits than PokeDexes, and are reserved for trainers who excel in the training course. Running my fingers over the back, I placed the chip in a small opening and the screen beeped to life, showing a picture of me.

"Hello. I am M.A.X, your WatchDex. I am equipped with an artificial intelligence system and an advanced PokeDex system." A voice beeped from my new electronic partner.

"Max huh? I like it." I said, smiling. I turned my attention back to Dr. Ivy as a girl with long green hair took a Mega ball, and walked off, humming to herself.

"You're up Mr. Myriad." Dr. Ivy said, motioning to the rows of pokéballs. I nervously walked up to the display and looked over the small name tags tapped to each ball.

Venusaur, Tauros, Vileplume, Rapidash, Dodrio, Jolteon....So many choices! I quickly scanned over the balls, trying to decide what to take. Finally, a Hyper Ball caught my eye, and I snatched it out of the display.

"I want this one." I said, showing the ball to Dr. Ivy. He smiled, then took the ball and scanned it with one of those light guns they use in stores when you buy something. He then handed the ball back to me and smiled.

"Good luck Mr. Myriad." He said as I rolled the pokeball in my hand.

"Thank you doctor." I said.

"Oh, here. I was told to give you this if you passed." He said as he handed me a slip of paper. He then gave me twenty empty pokéballs, five Super balls, then sent me on my way.

I walked down the main hallway, reading the slip of paper.

"Dear Stephen. Please come down to the City Gym as soon as you finish. I'd like to talk to you. -Dad." It said. My father was the Gym Leader for our city, and he raised bird pokémon there. I hadn't seen him lately because he was training hard on one of the Pidgeottos he had gotten. It was a rare breed of black feathered Pidgeotto that came from south Africa, and he had been spending 24-7 with it. 

I headed out of the lab, then bladed the four blocks to my town's gym, a.k.a., the Aviary.

I arrived at the gym and headed inside. I strolled into the main chamber where the battles were held, but the whole place was pitch black. I groped around, then found the lighting panel. I hit a few keys and the whole room lit up.

"Surprise!" My family yelled. They were all in the center of the battling field, around a big cake, wearing pointy party hats and spinning little noise makers.

"Guys!" I said, smiling in mock anger. My sister gave me a party hat and my mom gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Congratulations son." My dad said, holding a long, gift-wrapped box in his hands. "This is for you."

"What is it?" I asked, starting to unwrap the box.

"Just see for yourself." He said, smiling. 

I tore off the wrapping and slid off the box top. Inside was a long, leather bandoleer with small notches big enough to hold pokéballs in on it. On one of the notches was a pokeball with my name etched into the enlarger button. There was also a falconer's glove with it, long enough to cover my arm up to my shoulder. I took the bandoleer out of the box and slid it on over my shoulders, then under my arm. I pinned the inside to my lightening over shirt, then pulled on the glove, which fit rather snug. Then, I plucked the pokeball off of the front of my new bandoleer.

"What kind of pokémon is it?" I asked, enlarging the ball.

"You'll see." My dad said, smiling one of his big, goofy smiles he always had plastered on his face.

Giving a smile of my own, I let the pokeball fall from my hand and it opened before it hit the floor and rebounded back into my hand. A huge flash of light shot out of it and pulled up into the air. The light quickly faded away to reveal a Pidgeotto with coal colored feathers, which landed on a stand a few feet away.

"Her name is Talon." My father said, holding out his arm, letting the bird climb onto it.

"But...but dad, this is that rare Pidgeotto you've been spending so much time with." I stammered as he walked over to me. 

"I know. I've been prepping it to go with you on your journey." He replied, holding out his arm to me. Not sure of what to do, I held out my gloved arm and Talon fluttered onto it. 

"Wow, my own rare pokémon. I don't know what to say dad." I stammered, looking at my new pokémon, who was preening her feathers.

"Well then, don't say anything! It's time to party!" My dad said happily. I more than readily agreed. We all partied till late afternoon, finishing off the cake and playing games. I also got to know Talon a little better. Finally, after the party ended, we all gathered outside by the bus stop. It was time for me to go.

"I'm going to miss you all." I said, hugging my mom.

"We're going to miss you too." My mother said, brushing a tear away from her eye. "Be sure to call whenever you can, okay?"

"Sure mom. I promise." I said. Looking down, my sister stood there with a wily look on her face.

"What's up Squirt?" I asked, kneeling down to her seven year old height.

"Well...I was...I was wondering if...uh...um...if I could...." She stammered, trying to pick the right words.

"Yes, you can have my room while I'm gone." I said, rubbing her head.

"Yes!" She cheered, pumping her arm. She wandered off, chanting 'I'm getting a new room,' when my dad stepped up to me.

"You know Stephen, you never told us what you picked for your starter pokémon." He said.

"Uh....they didn't have any Fearow in stock, so Dr. Ivy said he'll send me one when I call him in the next city." I said, not making eye contact. Just then, my bus pulled up noisily behind me and the doors popped open.

"Oops, here's the bus." I said, sweatdropping a little.

"Oh, I'm going to miss you honey!" My mom said, throwing her arms around me. We hugged for a second, then I hopped up the bus steps and looked back at my family.

"Don't worry everyone. Soon, I'll be world famous. I'll make you all proud, or my name isn't...." I started. However, I was cut off when the bus doors slammed shut and the vehicle lurched away.

"Boy, you really know how to spoil a dramatic exit, you know that?" I said, glaring at the bus driver.

"So sue me." He grunted. I rolled my eyes and grabbed a seat near the back of the bus. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the Hyper ball containing my first pokémon.

"Well, looks like we're off to a weird start, eh Raichu?" I said, looking at the green and white pokeball. I had lied to my parents for the first time in years. My family hated electric pokémon. My father wanted me to get a Fearow, but I always had a soft spot in my heart for electric pokémon. My dad almost went nuts when I bought my Raichu jacket. This was the first major act of rebellion that would start off hundreds of others during my journey....

"Who knew that choosing a pokémon could start off my whole journey in a direction my family told me not to take." I said, staring at the green and white pokeball in my palm.

I shivered a little from the cold, then put my Raichu, Surge, back onto my bandoleer, which had long since faded in color. Looking at it, my eyes fell upon a regular pokeball on the third notch. The first pokémon I ever captured. Reaching into the snow with my bare hands, I packed a small snowball and threw it, reenacting my first catch....

**Chapter Three**

"Pokeball, go!" I cried as I hurled the pokeball through the air. The ball flew straight at the creature. With barely a flick of it's tail, it bashed the pokeball away, and back at me. The pokeball hit me on the head, making my vision swim for a second.

"Why you little....!" I threatened. I picked up the pokeball, then looked at my Raichu, who was lazing on the grass.

I was in the Crimson Forest, late afternoon. My bus had stopped in Crimson town, where I had decided to start my journey. It wasn't a far walk to the forest. There, I encountered my first challenge. A wild Eevee cub, just in it's juvenility, young, strong, and ripe for the catching. I had sent out my Raichu, positive it would win. However, Raichu had a different idea. 

"Raichu! C'mon, please!" I pleaded with my pokémon. Raichu had refused to battle, and it was just sitting on the grass, loafing about, completely ignoring me.

"Rai." It said, matter-o-factly.

"Why won't you listen to me!?" I asked the little pokémon. It just smirked at me and went back to lounging. I looked up and saw the Eevee with a look of pure entertainment on it's furry face.

"Okay, fine. If you won't battle, I'm sure Talon will." I said, pulling Talon's pokeball off of my bandoleer. I chucked the pokeball into the air and Talon shot out, ready for battle.

"Okay Talon, give that Eevee your gust!" I cried, pointing at the Eevee.

Talon nodded, then flew over the Eevee and flapped her wings violently. The rushing air pushed the Eevee clear off the ground, slamming it down hard. Talon then began to dive bomb the little fox, sending it tumbling about. Finally, the Eevee was too weak to even stand.

"Pokeball, go!" I cried for the second time, flinging the pokeball. The ball launched at the little pokémon and slammed into it, then sucked it inside. The ball sat there, shaking for a few seconds. Once...twice...three times...a fourth time. Finally, that blessed "ping" was heard as the capture light went out.

"Yes! We caught Eevee!" I cried happily. For the first time ever, I whirled around on my heel, then pulled my fist out in front of myself in a victory pose. Talon dived down low, grabbing the ball in her claws. She swooped over and dropped the ball in my waiting hands. She then deposited herself onto my gloved arm.

"Great job Talon." I said, stroking the bird's red and pinkish plume of head feathers. "At least you respect me."

Raichu just scoffed a little at that remark, so I returned Talon into her pokeball and walked over to Raichu. I plopped down next to it and it barely acknowledged my presence.

"Okay Raichu, what's wrong?" I asked, looking the electric mouse right in the face.

Raichu yawned, the answered, "Raichu rai. Chu, chuchu, rai."

I just sat there with a blank look on my face for a few seconds, trying to decipher what my pokémon had just said. Raichu just rolled it's eyes, then reached up and snagged my right arm. It twisted my wrist and hit a button on my WatchDex.

"Pokémon will not obey their trainers if they do not respect them. The best way to get a pokémon to respect you is to enhance your relationship with them. Most trainers give their pokémon nicknames to show their pokémon that they care about them." Max beeped, informing me on the problem.

"Wow. Well, okay then." I said, patting Raichu on the head. Even though it didn't obey me, it still enjoyed the stroking on it's head. "I think it would be a good idea to nickname you. Talon has a nickname, so it'd only be fair, right?"

"Raichu." Raichu said, nodding. 

"That's the spirit. Okay, what name do you want?" I asked Raichu as it moved it's head so I was scratching behind it's ears. "How about....Sparks?"

Raichu shook it's head no.

"Okay, how about Buzz?"

Raichu stuck his tongue out in disgust.

"Yeah, you're right. Well, how about....Zaps?"

Same reaction.

"You're going to make this hard for me, aren't you. Okay, how about....Surge?"

Raichu perked up at that name, then considered for a few seconds. It then nodded it's head happily.

"Rai raichu!" it cried, sparking from the cheeks a little. 

"Great. Surge it is." I said, pulling it's pokeball from my bandoleer. I pulled out a pen from my pack and sketched the word "Surge" onto the enlarger button. Surge inspected it, then handed it back to me, smiling.

"Good. We'll get it engraved later on, okay?"

"Rai."

"Okay. Well, let's get going. C'mon, I'll let you stay out." I said as I put Surge's hyper ball onto my bandoleer. Surge shrugged a little and stood up. I turned and began to walk, then staggered backwards as something tugged heavily on my backpack. After I got my balance, I looked over my shoulder to see Surge sitting astride my backpack, it's little hands gripping the straps like reigns.

"Fine. You can ride, your majesty." I said, rolling my eyes. Surge just laughed at the idea and put a solemn look on it's face, which reminded me of a royal person. It then mumbled something and pointed off into the forest and heeled the sides of my backpack like it was riding a horse.

"Very funny." I said, laughing a little. I started off into the forest, putting a little bounce in my step to entertain Surge as it tugged and pulled at the straps, guiding me around. It began to wave at an imaginary crowd, like it was in a procession or a parade. It seemed to be having a grand ol' time, and I was enjoying it a little too.

After a few hours, Surge fell asleep, bored with the game and still straddling my pack. It was early evening and I was starting to walk a little sluggishly myself. Looking at the time display on Max, it said it was only eight thirty. I was surprised at how tired I was, but I guess carrying Surge all day must have worn me out more than I thought. Luckily, I was able to make it out of the forest by nine. I found myself in a large flatland, trees dotting the landscape here and there, and a long, winding path cutting through it. I started down the long road, looking for a place to sleep for the night, when I came across a small, green thing near the side of the road, stuck to a tree trunk.

"Huh? Is that a Metapod?" I asked, aiming Max at it.

"Metapod, the chrysalis pokémon." Max beeped. "This pokémon cannot move or attack, and only has the defensive ability, Harden. A Caterpie will only stay inside the Metapod shell for two to five days before hatching from it."

"Well, this should be an easy catch." I said, pulling out a pokeball. I walked up to the Metapod and tapped it with the ball, and it was easily sucked inside. I clipped the ball back onto my bandoleer and began to walk away when the ball began to shake.

"What the?" I said, looking at the pokeball. I had been too hasty. The Metapod had been pulled into the pokeball, but it was still too strong to be captured. The ball burst open, still on my bandoleer and made me fall back as a blast of white energy shot out of it. I completely lost my balance and fell over, sending Surge flying. I fell over, flat on my butt. Surge however, woke up in midair and landed perfectly on all fours. It looked at me angrily for waking it up and sat down, beginning to lick it's fur.

"Hey, don't look at me. That Metapod did it." I said, standing up and brushing the dirt off my clothes.

Surge just shrugged, then stood up and walked over to the Metapod. It stared at it for a second, then let loose a huge blast of electricity, frying the pokémon to a crisp in a second flat. Surge then looked at the surprised and dazed pokémon, then snapped it's fingers in it's face and walked back over to me.

"Uh, thanks Surge." I said, picking another pokeball off my bandoleer. "Pokeball, go!"

I pulled back my arm and let the ball loose, straight at the crisped pokémon. The ball hurtled through the air, then slammed into the Metapod. Literally. The ball hit it, then went clear through it and out the other side, leaving a large, gaping hole near the top of it's layered body.

"Omygawsh! I killed it!" I cried, staring at the Metapod. Surge had an equally surprised look on it's face. Just then, a long, black antennae popped out of the hole. It was followed by another, then a pair of scrunched up white and black wings. Then, the hole widened and the Metapod burst and cracked in half. Out of the destroyed Metapod popped a small, purple-blue Butterfree.

"Whoa! It evolved!" I said, aiming Max at the bug, which was now stretching it's wings.

"Butterfree, the butterfly pokémon. This pokémon has waterproof wings, thus allowing it to fly in the rain. It has small, poisonous scales across it's wings, allowing it to use spore attacks. Approach with caution. This pokémon may be beautiful, but it is very dangerous when angered." Max informed, popping up a picture of Butterfree.

"Well, that shouldn't be to hard. Surge, go get it!" I called, pointing at the now hovering bug. Surge just yawned and sat there. "Surge!"

"Chu." Surge said, yawning. It just sat there on the grass, watching the Butterfree eye it oddly.

"C'mon Surge, please fight! Please?" I asked, feeling like a total idiot. Here I was, supposedly some kind of pokémon genius, and I couldn't even get my pokémon to listen to me. I heard the Butterfree trill it's high voice, as if laughing at the human who was begging to his pokémon. Then it fluttered away over the trees, still mocking in it's tawny voice.

"You sure were a handful Surge." I said, dropping my hyper ball. Surge, my now much older Raichu popped out, landing in the snow. He looked around for a second, then happily flailed about in the snow.

"Chu rai rai!" He said, leaping from snow drift to drift. Surge always did love to play with the element's after effects. Snow, water, tall grass, things like that. He was my most social pokémon, seeming to trust everyone he met, like a little kid.

"It's amazing, isn't it Surge?" I asked him as the large mouse hopped up and sat beside me on the porch. "You wouldn't listen to a word I said before. Now you're my most loyal friend."

"Chu raichu. Rai." Surge said, nodding in agreement. I scratched him behind his long ears and his face beamed pleasure.

"Do you remember when you first started to trust me? I do. I remember it like it was yesterday...."

**Chapter Four**

After the encounter with the Butterfree, I barely trusted Surge anymore. I knew that the only reason it attacked the Metapod was because it was it's fault for me waking it up so suddenly. After that, Surge couldn't have cared less about it. I had managed to get it back into it's pokeball after much debate and a few electrical burns on my part. 

I continued along the long, winding road until the moon was high in the sky and the stars shined like gems on black velvet. Finally, I was so tired, I just stopped on the side of the road and laid out my sleeping bag. Looking up at the constellations, I picked out shapes that looked like pokémon until I drifted off to sleep.

"'Ey kid, wake up an' don't move." 

Opening my eyes groggily, then closing them in the bright morning light, I looked up to a young man, older than me, with short blue green hair, and a thick Australian accent standing over me. His hand was poised over his head, a pokeball in his palm.

"Wha? Who are you?" I asked, reaching up to rub my eyes.

"Don't move. If ya' move, you're gonna' get 'urt." He answered, not moving from where he stood.

"'Urt? What, you mean hurt? How am I going to....get...." I started, then stopped as I rolled my eyes up and looked behind me. Wrapped around a tree branch behind me, was a sleeping Beedrill. However, it wasn't sleeping all that soundly. It stirred and shifted on the branch, then slowly, it's large, black eyes flashed to red, proving just how asleep it was.

"Now ya've done it. Ya' woke it up." The teen said, still not moving as the poison bee stretched a little and looked around.

"Just don't move. If ya' don't move, it can't see ya'." The guy said as he watched the Beedrill move around. He very slowly reached down to his belt, and then unclipped something from it. He brought his hand up, and I saw the flash of metal, a barrel, and a trigger. He was going to shoot it!? 

"Wait, don't...." I began. Too late. He pulled the trigger, but there was no bang. Just a small "phit" sound. The Beedrill looked shocked for a second, then fell to the ground, unconscious. A small, red feathered dart protruded from it's lower body, just above the stinger.

"Trainc daoit." He said in his overly think accent.

"I'm aware it's a tranquilizer dart." I said, getting out of my bag and scurrying away from the now sleeping Beedrill.

"'Ow aboit a thank ya'?" He asked, putting his pistol back onto his belt. He then calmly tossed the pokeball on to the sedated Beedrill and it was pulled inside, leaving the dart laying on the ground. It rebounded back to his hand and he snapped it onto his belt.

"Thank you? For what? Scaring the daylights out of me?" I said, looking up at the boy who had a few good inches on me. After all, I was only eleven. He must've been at least thirteen.

"And by the way, I happen to know that Beedrill can only see movement. They have multisectional eyes, so they are able to look in many directions at once, but their brains can't process all the images, so they sense movement instead of actual sights." I said in a smug tone of voice. "I happen to be a certified Pokémon Prodigy."

"Ya', well, wot koind of genious sleeps a 'undred feet from a Beedrill 'ive?" He asked, giving me a smug tone of his own. Looking over his shoulder, I saw that I had in fact, fallen asleep with a large tree packed with Beedrills and Kakunas not far away. It had been so dark, I hadn't seen the hive.

"I....I didn't see them...." I stuttered lamely.

"Yah, you should pay moui attention 'den." The boy said, folding his arms across his chest. "You're a starter, ain't ya'?"

"If you mean I'm new to training, then yes, I am." I said, tossing off my night shirt and putting a clean T-shirt on.

"Oi knew it." The boy said, shrugging. He then smirked a little, and held out his hand. "Well, everyone makes mistakes sumtoimes. Mah name's Damien."

"Stephen." I said, shaking his hand. "And thank you."

"No proiblem." Damien said, shrugging again. "So 'ow many pokamon ya' got?"

"Uh, three." I mumbled, coughing a little.

"Wat?"

"I only have three." I said, louder. "I only captured one of them though...."

"How long ya' been on 'da road?"

"This is my second day." 

"Well, ya' did betta 'den oi did one moi first two days." He said, nudging my backpack with his foot. "Oi didn't catch anyting moi first week."

"Ouch." 

"Ya' got anyting ta eat in 'der?"

Rolling my eyes, I unzipped my pack and tossed Damien a large fruit bar and a can of orange drink.

"Oo, apple cinnamoin." He said, tearing open the bar's wrapping and taking a large bite. I dug out the same for myself and we sat down, talking between bites.

"How many pokémon do you have Damien?" I asked, taking a swig of my drink.

"Foity eight."

I almost choked on my drink. Forty eight pokémon!? How could he care for that many? I was supposed to be some kind of genius on pokémon, and I was having a hard time just controlling Surge.

"Wow...." I stammered, trying to imagine myself taking care of that many pokémon. "They must be hard to take care of."

"Yeah, but oi have some of moi pals ta 'elp mi out." He said, taking a big chug of his drink to wash down some fruit bar.

"You're lucky. I'm all on my own. Just me and my pokémon."

"Really. Wat pokamon ya' got?" 

"Uh, Talon; my Pidgeotto, my Eevee, and Surge; my Raichu."

"Noice names. Raichu's da' only pokamon oi don't got." Damien said, finishing off the bar and stuffing it into his pocket. "Can oi see yours?"

"Uh, I don't know...."

"Aw, c'mon mate. Lesse it."

Thinking for a minute, I pulled Surge's Hyperball off my bandoleer and opened it, allowing Surge to escape from inside it. Surge popped out with a big yawn, then looked at Damien.

"Well, it's a noice lookin pokamon." Damien said, examining Surge. Just then, Surge broke out laughing. 

"Roi choo. Choo roichoo." Surge laughed, imitating Damien's accent. Damien however, was unfazed.

"Ay. It's got a good tahlent 'dere." Damien said, laughing as Surge poked around Damein, sniffing at him and looking under the back of his vest.

"Surge, stop that. It's rude." I scolded. Surge shrugged, then walked over to my pack and pulled out a banana fruit bar and tore into it.

"It don't matta. So, wat do ya' want fo' it?" Damien said, pulling out some pokéballs from his belt.

"Come again?"

"Wat do ya' want fo it? Oi've got a Venomot' a Chawmender, a' Oivysor, a...." Damien said, running off the pokéballs he held in his hands.

"Uh, I don't think I want to trade Surge." I said, holding my hands up.

"Oh. Well, 'ow much 'den? Oi've only got a few 'undred on me, but Oi can get moui lata'"

"I really don't want to give up Surge. It may not obey me, but I can't just give up my first pokémon." I said, plucking Surge away from my pack and holding it in my lap.

"Aw, c'mon. 'Elp a mate out." Damien said, pulling out a stack of money. "C'mon. Oi'll pay ya' a 'undred dollars an' moi Venomot'."

"Listen. I don't want your money, I don't want your Venomoth or any of your pokémon. What I do want is for you to stop trying to get me to give up my Raichu. It's staying with me."

"**It,** is a **'he**." Damien said, pocketing his cash.

"How can you tell it's a boy?" I asked, looking down at Surge, who was still munching on the fruit bar.

"Look at 'is coat. It's a dark shade. Girl Raichus 'ave a lighter colour. Girls awlso got orangish' cheeks, not 'ellow like 'dis one." Damien said, pointing at Surge's fur, then to his cheeks. "Now c'mon. 'Dere's gotta be someting you'd want fo' 'im."

"I told you, I don't want to trade him!"

"C'mon. Oi'll give ya moi Raidon!" Damien said, holding out a Greatball. "Oi've got two of 'em!"

"I told you, I don't want to trade Surge." I said calmly. This guy was getting on my nerves.

"'Ow about 'dis?" Damien said, holding out a Hyper ball. "Oi've got eighteen more of 'dese 'oiperballs in mah' pack. You can 'ave 'em!"

"I told you. I don't want to give Surge up!" I said angrily. I sideswiped his hand away, sending the ball flying through the air. And it hit one of the still sleeping Beedrill from the hive right on the head. The Beedrill was pulled inside, but it broke out after a few shakes. One thing was for sure. It was not happy. 

"Uh-oh...." I said, shouldering my pack quickly. The Beedrill began to buzz loudly and the other Beedrills awoke at the sound. They all took to the air, hovering above the tree, waiting to see some kind of movement.

"Now look wat you've done!" Damien shrieked. "'Der gonna turn us inta' pin cushions!"

"Quiet you idiot!" I whispered loudly. "Beedrill have good hearing!"

"Oi don't care! Oi'm not gonna get attacked by 'dose tings! Oi'm outta 'ere!"

Damien quickly turned on his heel and dashed off down the path as I stood motionless, trying to keep Surge from squirming in my grip. That poor fool was quickly followed by the Beedrill swarm, who were quickly gaining on him. I watched him as he tossed a pokeball and a large Ponyta appeared before him. He hopped up on it and dashed off, the Beedrill still keeping a good pace.

"Idiot." I said quietly. I let Surge down and we started to walk down the path in the opposite direction, when I heard a buzzing sound. Looking behind me, I barely dodged away as a Beedrill swooped past me. 

"What the!?" I asked, looking up at the lone bee. It must have seen me start to walk and turned back from the swarm. The bee continued to dive at me, time after time. It was pretty easy to dodge, but it wasn't getting tired all that quickly. I was.

"Surge! Look out!" I cried. Surge had been scampering about, not knowing what to do and had attracted the attention of the Beedrill. The bee pulled a wide loop and began to dive-bomb Surge.

"Chu! Chu!" Surge cried, narrowly missing the insect's attacks. Surge began to shoot Thunder Shocks at the Beedrill, but the opposing pokémon nimbly dodged these attempts. Finally, Surge had just dived away and tripped. He tried to get up, but was slammed aside by the bee. The Beedrill circled around again and it's front stingers began to glow.

"Beedrill's special attack, Pin Missile." Max beeped, sensing the pokémon's attack.

"No!" I cried. I dashed over Surge and leapt at the attacker, just as the Beedrill released a burst of pins. I hit the bee in mid air, both of us slamming it to the ground, me on top of it. 

I rolled away and a searing pain shot through my leg. Several pins were sticking out of my left thigh. The Beedrill crawled around lamely for a few seconds, then fluttered up and away, one of it's wings crumpled. It's right stinger was bent in half. I watched it buzz shakily away until it was out of sight.

"Chu?" Surge said, looking at me puzzled. 

"I'll be okay." I said, wincing in pain as I sat up. I gripped a long sting as near to my leg as possible. Biting my lip, I ripped the sting out of my leg and screamed in pain. Blood began to seep out of the wound. I dug my first-aid kit out of my backpack and took out some cotton. I dabbed away the blood while Surge sat there, looking sick and dazed. I continued to pull, scream, and dab, until all the stings were out. I took several patch bandages and stuck them on each of the wounds, then wrapped my leg up with a strip of cloth to hold the bandages in place.

"There. Good as new." I lied to Surge as I stood up shakily. I walked over to the abandoned Beedrill hive and looked around. Avoiding the Kakunas, I reached up and pulled a dead branch off the tree. I broke off one of the smaller branches on it and used that as a small crutch.

"Raichu?" Surge asked, walking up to me.

"Oh, don't worry Surge. I'll be okay. It'll heal in a few days." I said, trying to smile. Surge was skeptical, but didn't say anything as we headed down the path towards Celadon City.

"That was when you started to trust me." I said, holding Surge in my lap. He had been listening intently, but his attention was drawn away every once and again by nocturnal pokémon who weren't hibernating right now. I scratched his head again and he sighed contentedly, then yawned loudly.

"Tired huh? Okay. Back in the ball you go." I said, holding out Surge's hyperball. Surge yawned again and zapped into his ball. I shrunk it and returned it to my bandoleer, looking down at my leg. It never had healed right. I still had a slight limp from it. Looking up at the stars, I fell back into my memories, speaking aloud to nobody in particular.

"After that, it was smooth sailing all the way to Celadon. Boy, I had some great times in that city. And some of the worst."

**Chapter Five**

I arrived in Celadon a day or two later, making sure I wasn't sleeping near any hives of pokémon during the nights. Celadon was one of the biggest cities I had ever been to. Megamalls, apartments, movie theaters, malls, malls, and did I mention malls?

I dropped by the pokémon center and got my pokémon healed. I also called my parents. They were happy to see I was doing so well on my journey. It had taken my dad four weeks to get out of Crimson Forest. The path hadn't been all that well developed then, so he'd gotten lost pretty easily. I didn't tell them that I was injured. No need to worry them. They wired me some more money and told me to call them again as soon as possible.

After my pokémon were healed and fed, I took a look around town, and found myself in the largest MegaMall in the city, The Celadon Emporium. Five stories, eighteen extensions, almost nine thousand yards long. Those numbers don't mean much to you? Okay. It was literally, the size of about fifty aircraft carriers set row by row, in groups of ten. 

There were hundreds of stores, restaurants, hotels, arcades, four indoor pools, training areas, trading areas, pokémon centers, pokémon pet shops, and even a small gym for pokémon to exercise in. 

The mall was so huge, there were moving sidewalks all over, so people wouldn't have to walk for miles back and forth to get to all the stores they wanted to go to. Several people drove around in those little golf cars, zipping down the halls, parking in front of stores. Most of the people used the sidewalks, but some people rode around on large pokémon like Rhyhorn, Ponyta, Kangaskhan, Nidorino, Tauros, and dozens of other pokémon strong enough to carry them. 

I was content just to slide around the mall on my skates, blazing past shoppers at breakneck speeds. There were no rules in the mall saying I couldn't skate, so that's what I did. I blasted from store to store, buying things for myself and my pokémon. I finally arrived at a large electronics store that looked more like a warehouse. A large, neon sign above the entrance read "Electabuzz Electronics." There were several trained Electabuzzes inside, acting as clerks to the customers. They all wore vests, name tags, and small, electronic devices around their necks. Each device pulled up to show a small, circular microphone. The Electabuzzes were speaking in their normal language, but the devices translated it into English for the customers.

"Freaky." I said as I rolled calmly into the store. I was greeted by an Electabuzz in a green vest. 

"Hello there young man. The name's Buzzer. Can I help you today?" He asked in a southern accent.

"No thanks. I'm just browsing." I replied, trying not to laugh at the pokémon accent.

"Sure. If you need anything, just ask." Buzzer said cheerily. He wandered off to help another customer, leaving me to search the store.

"Wow, look at all this stuff!" I said, looking around the display cases. There were hundreds of devices for pokémon catching or breeding. There were tranq guns, electronic pokémon calls, underwater radars for aquatic pokémon, and even a type of pokeball launcher that shot pokéballs hard enough to knock a man unconscious. 

I continued to wander about, looking at all the devices that lined the walls and the counters. However, one device caught my attention.

It was a small, blue device that sat on a mannequin head's ear. It clipped on behind the top ear lobe and went into the ear itself. There was a small dial on the side marked "ON, OFF, and VOL." A small antennae protruded from the top of it. There was also a small microphone that was clipped to it.

"I see you're interested in the PokeLator2000." A voice said from behind me. I whirled around, but there was nobody behind me.

"Down here." The voice said again. 

I looked down to see a Pikachu in a green vest at my feet, wearing a smaller version of the Electabuzz's translators. He hopped up onto the counter and pulled out an identical device as the one on the mannequin.

"This little beauty is the latest in pokémon technology." The Pikachu explained. He hopped up on my shoulder and popped the device onto my ear.

"With this, you receive instant translations to pokémon speak." He said, turning the dial on the device. He then removed his translator from his neck and said a few things which I heard as "Pikachu pi chu chu, pika?" A split second later, I heard the same voice saying "It works pretty well, huh?"

"Whoa! Cool!" I said, pulling the device from my ear and looking at it. The Pikachu replaced his translator and turned it back on, then said, "It also has a special clip on microphone that allows you to communicate with other pokémon. Just pull down the cord and put it in front of your mouth."

I put the translator back in my ear and pulled at a small extension. It whizzed out to reveal a small, bendable microphone. I put it up to my lips and said, "Testing, one, two, testing." However, I heard, "Pikachu, pi, ka, pikachu."

"Weird!" I said, letting go of the microphone, which zipped back into the translator.

"It will translate your speech into that of whatever pokémon it last translated. It gives the owner a major advantage in battles. You call out commands to your pokémon, and the other trainer won't know what to expect!" The Pikachu laughed. He didn't need to explain anymore. I was sold when I first put it on.

"I'll take it."

Well, I may have been out two hundred dollars, but I got a great item. Using my new translator, I got to know Surge, Talon, and Eevee better. I also found out that Eevee wanted to evolve....

"Well, you see. My brother evolved into a Flareon, and then he was captured by a trainer. Last I heard, that trainer won three of the four Pokémon League Games using just him!" Eevee explained as she sipped on some tea.

We were in a small restaurant in the mall. I had treated my pokémon to a meal and now Eevee and I were talking over tea.

"So you want to evolve into a Flareon just like your brother." I said, setting down my cup.

"Bingo." She answered, wiping some tea off of the fur around her mouth. "I would have done it a long time ago, but I don't know how to."

"Well that's easy enough." I replied, finishing off my tea. "You can't evolve unless you're exposed to the radiation of a certain evolutionary stone. Since you want to be a Flareon, we need to get a hold of a fire stone."

"How d'ya know all 'dis stuff?" Surge asked, in his slight Brooklyn accent while munching on a sugar cookie.

"Yeah, how'd you get such a high score on your exam anyway?" Talon asked, perched on the back of a chair.

"Well, you know how my dad is a pokémon trainer. He always wanted me to eventually know more than he did. He always quizzed me, and if I got the questions wrong, my allowance was lowered by a dollar." I explained. "So I studied, and studied, and eventually, I was giving him questions he had no idea how to answer. I really owe it to him that I got such a high score."

"Wow. He must have really cared to go to so much trouble so you'd learn more." Eevee said.

"Yeah...." I answered, remembering my family. I was suddenly washed over with home sickness. However, I shook it off and put some money on the table.

"C'mon everyone. We've got a Fire Stone to buy." I said, grabbing my backpack. Eevee squealed a little and hopped on top of my head. Surge hopped onto my backpack and Talon perched on my gloved arm. Pulling off a tremendous balancing act, I bladed the half-mile to a pokémon store that sold evolution stones.

"Lesse....ah! Here's a fire stone!" I said, pointing out a small, flame shaped stone. The price tag read $5,000.

"C'mon! Buy it! Please!" Eevee squealed as she hopped onto the counter.

"I can't Eevee. It costs too much." I sighed, looking at my disappointed pokémon. Eevee laid on the counter, looking through the glass at the fire stone wistfully.

"It's okay Eevee. We can look for fire stones on Cinnabar Island. I hear that there are plenty around the volcano there." I said, trying to comfort my pokémon.

"How long would it take us to get there?" She asked.

I sighed. "About eight months, if we left right now."

Eevee was totally crestfallen. I looked through the display case at the fire stone. It was her dream to become a Flareon. The one thing that could make her dream come true was inches away, and she couldn't use it. I sighed heavily, feeling like a total heel.

"Argh! What is it!?" I heard a voice ask thin air. An old man sat behind the counter nearby, hunched over a laptop. I walked over and saw he was playing some sort of trivia game.

"What are you doing?" I asked the frustrated man.

"Wha? Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there." He answered. "Well, I'm trying to enter this contest being held by the Pokémon League. You have to answer a couple questions online, and they send you tickets to the League Games."

"Oh. Well, good luck then." I said, shrugging, then going back to thinking about getting a fire stone.

"Uh, you man. Do you know how fast a Pidgeot can fly?" He asked, turning the screen a little.

"Pidgeot have a maximum air speed of mach two, faster than the speed of sound. They can hit Mach two in under four seconds from a dead stop. Once they are traveling at said speed, they can only maintain it for twenty seconds until they fall out of it into a speed of around eighty miles per hour." I answered, not looking up from the display case. "I mean, c'mon. It's common knowledge."

However, the man just kind of gaped at me. He stared for a second, then typed in a few words. The speakers chimed bells, and the man smiled.

"Hey, you were right! Okay, Vaporeon have the ability to transform into water. How is that possible?" The man asked, looking at me hopefully.

"Well, Vaporeon's molecules...." I began. Just then, a light went on in my head. "Hold up. Let's make a deal."

"What do you have in mind?"

"I'll help you with this contest, but only if you give me a discount on a fire stone." I replied, pointing at the fire stone in the display case.

"Are you kidding? If all the answers are correct, I'll give you a fire stone for free! My kid's been dying to go to a League game, and if I brought home tickets, I'd be a hero!" The man replied, sliding the laptop down to me.

"Deal." I replied, hopping up onto the counter.

"Yes!" Eevee said, climbing into my lap.

"Okay," I said aloud as I typed. "Vaporeon's molecules closely resemble those of H2o, so when a natural bodily chemical is released into it's blood stream, they transform completely into water molecules...."

Well, long story short, I pulled off a perfect one hundred. The man was ecstatic as he typed in his address so the tickets could be mailed to him. I was rewarded with a perfectly polished Fire Stone, guaranteed for at least fifty uses before it's power began to run down. Outside the store, I kneeled before Eevee, who was barely containing herself.

"Now Eevee. Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked, wanting to make sure she knew what she was doing.

"Yes. I've been wanting to do this for a long time." Eevee said, sitting down.

"All right. Here we go." I said. I held out the stone and touched it to Eevee's forehead. I held it there, then pulled it away as she began to glow. She grew to five times her normal size, her legs becoming long and slender. Her small, bushy tail flowed out into a long, beautiful, yellowish tail. The small mane around her neck spread down her now pinkish chest and up around the back of her neck to the top of her head. Finally, the glowing subsided.

"I did it!" She cried, in a much more mature, developed voice.

"You did it all right. You evolved." I said, hugging my new pokémon.

"Finally....I've been waiting for so long....My dream's finally come true!" She squealed, prancing about with her new, powerful legs. 

"You know, you should have a name." I said, standing up.

"You're right. Something that suits me." She said, leaping into the air and pulling a small flip. She landed perfectly without making any sound as her feet hit the linoleum.

"Hmmm. How about....Flaire?" I asked, walking over to her.

"Flaire? I like it!" She said, prancing about again, chanting her new name.

"Great. C'mon. Let's go get your pokeball engraved." I said, stroking her fur. We set off to find a store that did pokéballs, Flaire running gracefully beside me as I bladed down the long hallways.

I took a pokeball from my bandoleer and rolled it around in my hand. Flaire would be sleeping right now, so I shouldn't bother her. I ran my fingers over the enlarger button, following the golden colored letters that spelled out her name.

"We had some great times there, huh Flaire?." I asked, fingering the ball. I replaced it on my bandoleer. As I locked the ball into place, I stared at my ring finger on my right hand. Suddenly, I was back in Celadon city, standing in front of a small building.

**Chapter Six**

****

The Rocket Casino. That was what the sign read. It was a fancy looking building, with large windows and arches around the doorway. Two burly Machoke bouncers stood in front of the door way.

It was the end of my second week in Celadon city. I had defeated Erika, the Gym Leader there for my first league badge. I didn't really want to become a pokémon master or anything, but I knew that only Masters were allowed into special areas where rare pokémon roam. If I wanted to collect all the pokémon, I would have to get into the Pokémon League.

I had been bored that day and had gone blading around the city, looking for something to do. I blew a few bucks at the arcade and wasted a kid's Staryu with Surge in a battle. I had run into this building, stopping to look at the intricate designs on the front.

"Hey kid. Yeah, you. C'mere." A voice said. Looking around, I spotted a man in a business suit leaning on the wall of the building. He didn't look very suspicious, so I approached him, but kept a safe distance. I had pulled out Surge's pokeball before I got within twenty feet of him, just in case.

"Yes?" I asked, stopping several feet away.

"Have you ever heard of Team Rocket?" The man asked.

"Team Rocket? Is that some sort of space camp thing?" I asked, confused. I found myself unconsciously walking towards the man, but I stopped myself.

"Not quite." The man said, chuckling a little. "Team Rocket is a pokémon club. We train pokémon, adopt abandoned ones, that kind of thing."

"Sounds like a nice group." I said, shrugging. I don't know why, but I put Surge's pokeball back into it's notch. The man smiled, his white teeth sparkling like those people in toothpaste commercials.

"It's very nice. Would you like to join?" 

"I guess I could take a look." 

The man smiled, then walked up to me and put his hand on my shoulder.

"Glad to hear it. Come with me." He said, leading me into the casino. I have no idea why, but the Machoke guards actually flinched when he walked past them. We headed into the main casino hall, a huge room filled with pokémon related gambling tables, money wheels, slot machines, and other various things. People in fancy, expensive clothes sat around, laughing and playing games. I saw one man lay down a stack of thousand dollar bills and ask for change. People were drinking wine and champagne. Women were smoking cigarettes on long, ivory filters. Some men had long Cuban cigars clenched between their lips. 

Coughing a little as I walked past a smoking better, the man led me over to a doorway protected by a Hitmonchan and an Electabuzz, both dressed in black suits and sunglasses. They each had a small microphone in their ears and on their collars.

"New recruit boss?" The Hitmonchan asked, the mic on his collar translating.

"Yep. We'll let him work with Jessie and James. Y'know, to teach him the ropes." The man said, strutting past the pokémon, who opened the doors for him. On the other side of the doors was a small lobby sort of area and an elevator. We walked into the elevator and the man hit a button, causing the elevator to lurch to life.

"So....Who are Jessie and James?" I asked, turning to the man.

"Jessie and James are two of our best teacher members. They help new recruits to fit in better, show them what to do, that kind of thing. Just watch out for Jessie. She has quite a temper." The man replied.

"How bad of a temper?" I asked.

"One time, a Machamp member insulted her hair, and he ended up in the pokémon center for a week."

"Wow. That's a bad temper...."

"James is nicer though, more social. He's a little odd though. He's fourteen right now, so you two should have a little in common."

"How old is Jessie?"

"Thirteen."

The elevator screeched to a halt, and the doors opened with a loud creak. We left the elevator and entered an area that looked like a rec. room. Dozens of kids and adults were hanging about, playing ping pong, stand up arcade games, watching t.v, reading, or just talking. Most of them were playing with their pokémon. The thing that really caught my eye though, was the fact that everyone was wearing black uniforms with red "R"s on the front, save a few who were wearing white uniforms.

"Welcome to the break room." The man said. "Hey Jessie, James. Get over here."

Two white uniforms playing air hockey looked up from the table, then dashed over to us.

"Agent Jessie," Jessie said, standing at attention.

"Agent James," James said, saluting.

"At your service!" They both said, standing like soldiers. 

"They have a flare for the dramatic." The man whispered to me, then he turned to Jessie and James. "Okay you two, quit it. I've got a new member. Get him a uniform and show him the ropes."

"Yes sir!" They both said. The man rolled his eyes and disappeared into the elevator. Jessie and James stood at attention, then relaxed as he left.

"Hey kid. Name's James. What's yours?" James said, holding out a gloved hand.

"Stephen." I said, shaking his hand. He smiled brightly, his emerald eyes scrunching up a little.

"I'm Jessie." Jessie said, holding out her hand. I shook it to.

"Nice hair. Very.... aerodynamic." I said, digging for a complement about her red hair, which arced behind her in a long loop down to her waist.

"Oh, thanks. It took four bottles of hair spray." Jessie said, running her hand over her hair.

"C'mon. Let's go get you a suit." James said, leading me into a small doorway. Inside the room was several small shelves covered with uniforms.

"Lesse....you look like you'd need a C-24." James said, pulling a uniform from the shelf. He handed me a black uniform, gloves, a hat, and boots. He pointed me to a smaller room. I headed into the room, and came back out after a few minutes, fully dressed in the uniform, with my bandoleer, falconers glove, and WatchDex added on. James took my other clothes and put them into a locker. He gave me the key and told me not to loose it.

"Lookin' good Stevey." Jessie said when James and I left the uniform room. "The sash's a nice touch."

"It's a bandoleer." I deadpanned.

"Sure." She shrugged.

"So, what pokémon do you have?" James asked, plopping down on an overstuffed couch.

"Surge; my Raichu, Talon; my Pidgeotto, and Flaire; my Flareon." I replied, pulling over a barstool that was standing near a wall.

"Cool. I've got an Ekans, and James has a Koffing." Jessie said, coming over with some sodas from a cola machine with no coin drop. She tossed me a can and I almost dropped it.

"C'mon Steve." James said, heading back to the air hockey table. "I'll kick your butt. First one to reach ten."

"Hah! You're on!" I said, walking up to the table.

"Oh, wait. I forgot to give you this." James said, fumbling in his pockets. He pulled out a small onyx ring and slid it across the table to me. I picked it up and looked at it. It had a small red R insignia on it.

"We all got one when we joined." Jessie explained, pulling off her left glove to show me an identical ring.

I smiled a little, then pulled off my right glove. I placed the ring on my ring finger and looked at it for a few seconds. I put my glove back on, then completely missed a shot from James, putting him one point ahead of me.

Looking down at my hand, I rubbed my finger where my ring used to be. I sighed a little, shame flooding my heart.

"I can't believe I was dumb enough to join Team Rocket." I said, looking back up to the night sky. "I was young, foolish, headstrong. Besides, I never knew about the things they did."

I was making excuses. I should've quit as soon as I found out what was really going on. But I didn't. I stayed. I stayed because I liked it. I liked the power, the sense of control. I helped rob, and pillage, and hurt, all because it felt good. My pokémon never gave any complaint about it, not really knowing what was going on.

I stayed with Team Rocket for two years, collecting pokémon on my own, not stealing them from other places or people. I collected dozens of pokémon, more than a hundred. I began to use only my electric pokémon, Surge, Shocker; my Magneton, Blaster; my Electrode, Jolt; my Jolteon, and Buzz; my Electabuzz. However, I also used my Arcanine; Arky, as a bodyguard. We really loved each other, and he would do anything for me.

I earned the nickname "Zapper," which was given to me by a new partner to Jessie, James, and I. He was a Meowth. A talking Meowth. Turns out he had joined Team Rocket a little after Jessie and James had, and had been the boss' right hand cat. However, he wasn't content to just sit around and look nice. He wanted some action, so the boss teamed him up with us.

"So Zappa," Meowth asked in his New Yorker accent, "You see anyting?"

"Just a few laser sensors, but Shocker can short circuit them." I replied, looking through the glass skylight.

It was the anniversary of my second year in Team Rocket that night. I had been promoted when I brought in an Mr. Mime that I had swiped from some traveling circus. They gave me a white uniform and a new title. Senior Agent Myriad, just like Jessie and James.

"Great." Jessie said. "You deactivate the sensors, then we all slip in and grab that pokémon fossil."

This night, we were in Pewter City, planning a heist on the museum there. We were all perched on the roof, looking down through the skylight at a display that held a large chunk of amber. Inside the amber, was the tooth of an Aerodactyl. It was worth about a million dollars, easy.

"Okay Shocker, let's go!" I cried as I chucked out Shocker's pokeball. The three headed pokémon popped out with a robotic cry, then floated over to me. James picked the skylight lock and my pokémon floated down above the glass display case, hovering feet above a web of lasers that were guarding the display.

"Thunder Wave!" I called from the roof. Shocker sparked, then let loose a huge blast of electricity, causing the lasers to flicker, then vanish as he fried the control box.

"Good job." I said, zapping Shocker back into his pokeball. James tied some ropes to a ventilation unit and had slung them over the edge of the open skylight. Jessie slid down first, then me, then James. Meowth stayed up on the roof as a lookout.

"Hah. Easy as pie." Jessie laughed as she walked up to the now defenseless display. She pulled out a small glass cutter and began her work. James wandered away, looking for anything else of value.

"Almost got it...." Jessie said as I watched her just finish cutting a circle in the glass. "There!"

She reached a gloved hand into the case to grab the amber when we both heard a loud clicking sound.

"Freeze! Turn around with your hands up!" A woman's voice commanded.

Jessie and I froze in place. We slowly turned, bringing our hands over our heads as we went. We turned to see that we were surrounded by four police officers, and Officer Jenny, all wielding small pistols.

"I thought you got rid of the lasers!" Jessie whispered loudly to me.

"There must have been a silent alarm on the skylight." I whispered back.

"You are under arrest for breaking and entering, attempted robbery, and for being in Team Rocket. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney...." Officer Jenny began.

Two of the officers walked up to us as Jenny continued to read us our rights, never wavering her gun. The two officers were carrying handcuffs. One grabbed Jessie roughly and snapped a set onto her wrists behind her back. The other had just gotten a cuff onto my left wrist and was pulling my arm behind my back when Officer Jenny dropped to the floor.

"What the?!" My cop said, looking up in surprise. James hadn't been seen and was able to bash Jenny over the head with a now shattered piece of pottery. I took the opportunity and shoulder rammed my cop in the stomach, sending him sprawling into a wall. Jessie took my distraction and jump kicked her cop in the face, knocking him out.

"Nice timing James!" I cried as I whipped out a pokeball. "Arky!"

My Arcanine burst from it's ball, and immediately dived at the first standing officer he saw, knocking the man to the ground. 

"Ekans!" Jessie cried. Her Ekans shot from it's ball, still on Jessie's belt. "Acid these cuffs!"

Ekans shot a small blob of acid spit onto the chain of the cuffs and they melted like butter. With her hands free, Jessie made a mad dash for the rope, which was still hanging from the skylight.

"Hurry you guys, more cops are comin'!" Meowth screeched from the roof. Jessie wrapped Ekans around her shoulders and shimmied up the rope and over the side, quickly followed by James. I had just gotten to the rope when I remembered Arky.

"Arky! C'mon!" I cried over my shoulder. I spotted Arky behind a display, fending off the last standing officer with it's flame thrower. He barked and dashed over to the rope, and began climbing with his teeth and paws. Great little trick I taught him. As soon as he was up a few feet, I began climbing after him.

"Freeze!" Officer Jenny yelled, bringing her gun up and cocking the hammer. She must have recovered from the blow James gave her. I continued climbing, moving faster. 

BLAM!

A bullet whizzed past my head, missing me by inches. Just then, Arky dived down from the rope and charged at Jenny, intent on protecting me.

"Arky! Stop!" I cried.

BLAM!

Arky yelped in pain and fell, blood streaking across the linoleum floor.

"NO!" I screamed. I jumped down from the rope and dashed up to Arky who was lying on the ground, crying in agony. I held my pokémon tightly, his blood getting onto my shirt.

"Arc...." He whimpered. He lay there for a few seconds as Jenny advanced on me. His breathing became deep and raspy. He went limp in my arms.

I felt his heart stop.

"Arky...." I sobbed, holding my pokémon. Rage suddenly boiled up in my heart, making me feel sick to my stomach. My eyes burned with fury as I grabbed a small dagger from the inside of my boot. I jumped up and charged at Jenny, the blade above my head. I swiped at her, but she nimbly dodged aside and slammed her foot into my chin.

My head snapped back, and I staggered there for a second. I felt my eyes roll into my head and I fell back into oblivion.

**Chapter Seven**

Tears. My tears fell from my eyes and vanished as they hit the snow. I hadn't cried since the night Arky had died. It had been exactly one year since that fateful night four days ago. My friends had been wondering why I was so downtrodden then, but I just told them I was tired. I reached down near my waist and pulled an empty pokeball off my bandoleer. The name "Arky" was etched into the enlarger button. I had never used it after then. I wanted to forget the pain, the sorrow, the burning agony that sat in the bottom of my heart and never moved, tearing me up from the inside out.

"The worst part is," I said to nobody, "The worst part is that it was my fault. It was my fault for using him that night. It was my fault for joining Team Rocket. It was my fault for his death."

I could blame Officer Jenny. I could blame Jessie and James. I could blame the whole world, but it would still be my fault, and only my fault. No matter what I said, the blame would always be on me. That blame ate me up inside. It made me feel cold, empty, hollow. Like something reached down inside me and took everything out of me, leaving me nothing but a shell.

"You know, there's something I've always liked about my translator." I said, looking down at my shoes. "It enhances my hearing, so you can come out of the doorway now."

I turned and saw a surprised looking Misty in the doorway, wrapped up in a robe and blanket. She had been there the whole time, listening to my story. I had known she was there, but I wanted somebody to know what had happened over the past three years.

"I'm so sorry." Misty said, giving me a sympathetic look.

"For what? None of it was your fault. I only met you guys a few months ago." I said, sounding more bitter than I had meant to. "Besides, I don't want or need your pity."

She looked hurt. I hadn't meant to insult her or anything, but my little trip down memory lane had left me a little edgey.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...."

"It's okay. Not your fault." There were those words again....

"What happened after that?" She asked.

"What?"

"What happened after Jenny knocked you unconscious?"

"Oh. Well, I woke up in the city hospital with a slight concussion. My pokémon had been taken from me and sent into the police hold. I literally had to beg Officer Jenny not to put them up at the adoption center. I was held in the city police station for a few days until I got a trial...."

"Stephen Myriad. You have been convicted of pokémon theft, resisting arrest, assault on a police officer, twelve counts of breaking and entering, and twelve counts of robbery. How do you plead?"

I stood before the judge, who was perched up on her high desk, looking down at me. I was handcuffed, stripped of my pokémon, my WatchDex, my falconer's glove, my bandoleer, my ring, and most of all, my dignity. I was still wearing my Rocket uniform, and I had "criminal" written all over me. Not literally of course.

"Mr. Myriad, how do you plead?" She asked again.

I stared down at my shoes, my heart full of shame and regret. I brought my head up and looked the judge straight in her blue eyes.

"Guilty on all charges."

"Mr. Myriad. You have admitted to being a member of Team Rocket. It is the demand of this court that you reveal the whereabouts of Team Rocket's headquarters and everything that you've come to know about Team Rocket." She continued, glaring at me.

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"No. I refuse."

"Mr. Myriad, you do realize that by not giving this information, you are adding time onto your sentence."

"I do. I still refuse."

That was it. I confessed to everything charged against me, and it was all over. If I had been an adult, they would've put me away for a good fifty years in a minimum security prison. The fact that I was only thirteen saved me. I was charged as a minor and giving an eight month sentence in juvenile hall. After I had begged Jenny to keep my pokémon in a foster care center, I was sent to the Detention.

"Okay kid, you get a phone call, so you can use it now if you want too." The keeper told me as he pointed me to a video phone.

"Thanks...."

I sat down at the video phone and hit seven familiar numbers The screen beeped to life, and the image of my father popped onto screen.

"Dad, hi. It's me. Listen, I have to tell you...." I began.

"Shut up." He snapped.

"What?!" 

"I said shut up." He replied again. His face was hard and bitter. "We saw what happened on the news. I don't ever want to talk to you again."

"Dad, come on. It's Stephen, your son...."

"I don't have a son." He barked before slamming the receiver down. The words hit me like a rampaging Rhydon. I was in shock. I don't have a son. The words echoed in my mind as I set down the receiver. They rang in my skull as I spent the next eight months in prison. Finally, exactly eight months later, I was released.

"Freedom." I said, breathing the clean air deeply as I left the Juvey. "I've missed you." 

My pokémon were returned to me, as well as all of my possessions, except for Max, my WatchDex. Convicted felons weren't permitted to use Pokedexes. They told me that it was reprogrammed and given to another trainer.

I hadn't been out of the prison for more than a half hour when I was approached by a young man, a young woman, and a Meowth that was walking on it's hind legs. They were all wearing trench coats and large fedoras.

"You three always did have a thing for the dramatic, didn't you." I said as the three stopped in front of me.

"You got 'dat right." Meowth said from under his hat. "We even got out own motto."

"Not now Meowth." Jessie said, looking down at the cat. "Listen Stephen, we heard that you refused to rat us out. That took guts."

"We've got another uniform ready for you back at HQ. But we brought your normal clothes with us anyway." James said, handing me a bundle of clothing.

"You want me to come back to Team Rocket." I said, looking James in his deep green eyes.

"Yes." He replied. He was on the ground, clutching his jaw in a second flat. Jessie gasped as she and Meowth stared at me as I walked away, holding my sore fist.

"Wow...." Misty said, stunned. "Why didn't you tell the judge what you knew about Team Rocket?"

I sighed. "What most people don't know is that Team Rocket isn't just a group of thugs going around stealing pokémon. It's a huge organization. Hundreds of thousands of members, all over the world. If I had told anything about them, even where I was first inducted into Team Rocket, I would've been killed within a week of being in jail."

"What? But they wouldn't....would they?"

"Did you know that Jessie and James carry pistols? James has his on the inside of his boot, and Jessie carries hers pinned up under her hair. They could shoot you all anytime they wanted, but they prefer to play with you guys. Chasing after Pikachu is easier than most other jobs we used to get."

Misty looked sick. She was very, very pale.

"I'm sorry....I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's all right. I kind of figured they carried some kind of weapons...."

I looked down at my watch. I envisioned it as Max, but shook my head, clearing the image.

"It's almost one in the morning. We'd better get back to sleep." I said, putting my hands on Misty's shoulders, then turning her back towards the door. I put my arm around her shoulder and led her back into the room we were staying in. She got back into her bed and I got into mine. We stared at each other for awhile, and she eventually drifted off to sleep. I had feigned sleep for a while, then got out of bed as soon as I was sure she was asleep.

Tiptoeing through the center, I made my way into the lobby and sat down at a video phone. I turned it on and punched in a few numbers, and gripped the receiver tightly as the "Placing Call" sign beeped on screen. He had always stayed till two in the morning to feed the nocturnal birds and close up, so he should still be there. Finally, a familiar face popped on screen.

"Dad? It's Stephen...."

_The End?_


End file.
